SEMARANG \u2014 Heru Djatmika, head of the Central Java Provincial\nEnvironment and Forestry Agency, said the agency issued a letter on\nWednesday (21 October 2026) requesting the closure of hiking routes on\nall mountains in Central Java. The measure is intended to prevent forest\nand land fires, such as those already reported on Mount Lawu and Mount\nSumbing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe issued a letter on the 21st (of October 2026) to all hiking-route\nmanagers asking them to close. This is a request, not merely an appeal,\nto the managers of hiking routes on every mountain in Central Java,\u201d\nHeru said in an interview on Friday (23 October 2026).<\/p>\n
He added that the letter had been sent to the heads of the Grand\nForest Park (Tahura), national park offices and Perhutani, which manage\nhiking routes on mountains in Central Java. Copies were also sent to the\nCentral Java Governor, the Central Java Police Chief and the commander\nof Diponegoro Military Regional Command IV.<\/p>\n
According to Heru, the hiking-route closures took effect once the\nletter was issued. He said the main reason for the request was the\nforest and land fires on Mount Lawu and Mount Sumbing. \u201cThe indications\nare that they happened because of human error,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said that when fires hit the Mount Sumbing area, officers also had\nto evacuate 152 hikers. \u201cWe are concerned that if the mountain routes\nremain open, hikers could be up there when a forest fire breaks out, and\nthere could be fatalities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Heru said that, since negligence was suspected in the fires on Mount\nLawu and Mount Sumbing, hikers could also have been a contributing\nfactor. \u201cHikers might cook up there, then fail to put the fire out\ncarefully or thoroughly, which could cause a fire to start,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Heru said no end date had been set for the closures. Hiking would be\npermitted again once the Central Java Environment and Forestry Agency\nissued a notice announcing the reopening.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce the rainy season has become stable, we may issue another letter\nto reopen the hiking routes,\u201d Heru said.<\/p>\n
The fire on Mount Lawu has been burning since 15 October 2026. Heru\nsaid two fire hotspots were still active. After the Karanganyar Regency\nGovernment declared an emergency response status, water-bombing\noperations were added to firefighting efforts on Lawu\u2019s slopes from\nMonday (19 October 2026).<\/p>\n
However, the fire has yet to be extinguished. Heru said dry weather\nand strong winds were making the firefighting effort more difficult and\nexpanding the burned area. At least 490 hectares on the slopes of Mount\nLawu have been affected.<\/p>\n
The fire on Mount Sumbing was first detected on Monday (19 October\n2026), and the Wonosobo Regency Government has also declared an\nemergency response status. Water-bombing operations have not yet begun\nthere because two helicopters sent by the Indonesian Military are still\nbeing used to tackle the fire on Lawu.<\/p>\n
More than 300 hectares in the Mount Sumbing area have so far been\naffected by the fires.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/all-mountain-hiking-routes-in-central-java-closed-to-prevent-forest-fires-1792749183", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }